We must be united in the war against addiction! My mission is to unite organizations,support groups, and everyone else who needs a helping hand. I am here to educate equip and develop a Recovery resource Network. My hope is that everyone gets the help they need and no one is left behind or alone in their fight for freedom from addiction. Join me and lets fight the good fight! Our Philosophy: Instigate, Agitate, Educate, and Liberate!

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Bucks County Families Offered Free Naloxone Training April 27 + Families in 5-county area offered Free Family Education Series

If someone you love has a drug or alcohol problem,
The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc., can help.

In addition to our ongoing family education and support series (outlined below), The Council has partnered with the Anna Straw Initiative to offer Naloxone Training to families in Bucks County, on Monday evening, April 27, at Deep Run Presbyterian Church in Perkasie.

To prevent fatal overdoses, the free Naloxone Training program was created in memory of Dave Messina, another young person in Bucks County who lost his fight to addiction. In the past year, there were 250 drug-related deaths in Bucks County alone, and that number doesn't include those who overdosed and survived.

Participants will learn how to recognize, prevent and respond to an overdose for heroine, oxycodone and other prescription drugs. Trainings also include a Naloxone prescription and kit, instructions on how to administer the overdose-reversal agent, and information on PA Act 139 and immunity from legal repercussions for getting help for a drug overdose. Funding for the program is provided by the Bucks County Drug and Alcohol Commission, Inc.

And, for families throughout our five-county area, The Council's Family Education Program offers a free three-part series and a unique support system for friends and family of a loved one struggling with addiction.

The next series kicks off in the first week of May, at 10 locations, including Deep Run on Mondays, May 4, 11 and 18, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. The program is led by trained volunteers who have been through similar experiences. They offer confidential support, guidance, and resources to help find a road to recovery. And they offer hope, in a caring atmosphere with other people in the same situation who want to understand addiction and learn about the recovery process. The series is free, but contributions are welcome.

The other nine locations offering the program in May are in Bucks County (Bristol), Chester County (West Chester), Delaware County/Main Line (Media/Rosemont), Montgomery County (Colmar, Pottstown) and Philadelphia (North Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia, Northern Liberties).

The Family Education Program is part of a Council initiative called PROACT - Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Achieving Community Together - that provides advocacy and recovery support communities. The family program has helped more than 3,000 families since it launched in 2001.

It accounts for 11 percent of all alcohol purchased in the U.S., resulting in 4,300 deaths and 190,000 emergency room visits each year.

It is the number one drug of choice for America's youth, usually consumed through binge drinking, and more likely to kill young people than all other illegal drugs combined.
Each April, during Alcohol Awareness Month, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc., rallies The Council and its other affiliates to join in a concerted effort to increase public awareness and understanding, reduce stigma, and encourage communities to focus on alcoholism and alcohol-related issues.

This is the perfect time to start having open and honest conversations with the youth in your life, to educate them on the severe consequences of alcohol abuse.

Peers, parents, internet or social media - after 35 years of research, it's still parents who have the greatest influence on a child's alcohol use. But the old "just say no" approach is just not effective.

The average child is taking his or her first drink at age 12, so you need to talk to your kids about it long before adolescence.

Tell them the risks. Tell them the consequences. Tell them how it creates extremely dangerous situations - for themselves and society - and point to the examples we see every day online and in the News.

Tell them how it is directly associated with traffic fatalities, violence, suicide, educational failure, alcohol overdose, unsafe sex and other problem behaviors, even for those who may never develop a dependence or addiction.

One in four children are exposed to a substance use disorder in the family, so tell them if that's part of their reality.

Let them know that addiction has a strong familial connection: it is an important message. Let them know the devastating problems it can cause for them and your whole family. Let them know that drinking before age 15 equates to a FIVE times greater risk of developing an alcohol use disorder at some point in their life.

Reducing underage drinking is critical for the health of our youth and our society.

It requires cooperation from parents, schools, community organizations, business leaders, government agencies - the entertainment industry and alcohol manufacturers and retailers - and young people themselves.

Share this article with someone you know to help us create awareness and encourage individuals and families to get help for alcohol-related problems.

Click here to visit our website and learn more about The Council's Intervention programs and resources for parents.

Volunteer for The Council/PRO-ACT !!

Contact one of our Volunteer Coordinators:Central Bucks: Email or call Rick at 215-345-6644

FASD: Implications for Children and Adolescents - April 9, 2015, 9:00 am - Noon at Southern Bucks Recovery Community Center, 1286 Veterans Highway, Bristol, PA 19007. Get an in-depth look at Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and how tools such as alcohol screening can assist in reducing the number of children born with FASD. Approved for 3 PCB credit hours. To register email or call David at 215-230-8218 x3162. Click here for details.

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